title: Rudimentary substrates for vocal learning in a suboscine.
abstract: Vocal learning has evolved in only a few groups of mammals and birds. The key neuroanatomical and behavioural links bridging vocal learners and non-learners are still unknown. Here we show that a non-vocal-learning suboscine, the eastern phoebe, expresses neural and behavioural substrates that are associated with vocal learning in closely related oscine songbirds. In phoebes, a specialized forebrain region in the intermediate arcopallium seems homologous to the oscine song nucleus RA (robust nucleus of arcopallium) by its neural connections, expression of glutamate receptors and singing-dependent immediate-early gene expression. Lesion of this RA-like region induces subtle but consistent song changes. Moreover, the unlearned phoebe song unexpectedly develops through a protracted ontogeny. These features provide the first evidence of forebrain vocal-motor control in suboscines, which has not been encountered in other avian non-vocal-learners, and offer a potential configuration of brain and behaviour from which vocal learning might have evolved.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Animal Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, 10065, USA. liuw@mail.rockefeller.edu
authors.forename: Wan-chun
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Erich D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Jarvis
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nottebohm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030161:Avian Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D046109:Passeriformes / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D018091:Receptors, AMPA / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D030161:Avian Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018091:Receptors, AMPA; D018092:Kainic Acid Receptors; D014157:Transcription Factors